Tag: Family

A new day, another miracle. All in the eyes of a boy.

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We’ve been hanging (HANGING) since lunch time Friday when Theresa rushed out of the office to the hospital.  (HE’S EARLY!)

Well, the stork has arrived.  Alexander Salvatore was born at 11:18 pm last night.  He came a bit early (6 weeks)… and a bit light (5 lbs, 7 oz) – – and he gave his Mom a tough time of it…however, everyone is just fine.  Congratulations Theresa and Dominic!  Strap in for the best ride of your life…

A new day has come
Where it was dark now there’s light
Where there was pain now there’s joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength
All in the eyes of a boy

Continue reading “A new day, another miracle. All in the eyes of a boy.” →

Running…with red eyes.

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3:30am.  And up.  (Nothing wide-eyed and bushy tailed here.  You have a problem pal.)

Posted my work-inspiration video.  (Was inspired.  For about 3 minutes.  A** firmly planted in chair.  Motivation rating: 1.5 on scale of 10.  Darkness rolls in.  I’m sorry.  That’s disingenuous.  My a** is hanging so low, you can’t see where my a** starts and the floor begins.)

Slash through 50 emails. (Tension climbing with the disposition of each mail.  Look down at meter count.  126 left.  Standing in ocean.  Neck deep.  Taking in water with each wave.  Gagging on the salt water.)

She left the office yesterday after lunch.  A colleague.  Her water broke.  Six weeks early.  No word.  (Damn it, CALL!)

I shut down the email train.  (Rationalizing again.  Maybe I’ll run later.  Nothing in the tank this morning.)

Little red light blinking on Blackberry. (Devil’s tool that little red light.  Blinking.  Blinking incessantly.  It’s not even a pretty red color. Maybe it’s T.  No.  No, it’s not.)

It’s an email from a former colleague.  He’s now in London with his family.  (I haven’t spoken to Steve in a very long time.  What an amazing person and talent he is.  Had no idea he was even following my blog.  Dark clouds fall away.  Mood shifts.  Amazing what a few kind words will do to my psyche.)

“Dave, I hope this note finds you well…Now, I read an article in one of our leading newspapers and felt inspired, when I feel inspired I think of your blog. It’s not the most obvious article that may be worthy of landing on your blog but I thought I would share it just in case you thought your friends would relate to it. As a Dad, it struck a chord with me. Hope you are doing well, and the family is good…..take care……Steve.”

I start panning down the article.  I finish the article.  I’m rubbing tears from my eyes.  I put on my running gear and head out the door.

“It’s not the most obvious article that may be worthy of landing of your blog.”  (Right!)

The story consumed me the entire run. (“You will wish for terrible things; you will pray for your newborn baby to die — not just once, but a thousand times. Go with it, don’t judge yourself, and the storm will pass.”).

If you read nothing else today, take a moment to read the story below.

Running Time this morning? 39 seconds ahead of last Sunday’s pace.  A new personal best.  Steve, I owe to it you for bringing the light back.  Thank you.

Enjoy your Saturday.  That is, after reading the story below.

Continue reading “Running…with red eyes.” →

Time out with Claire…

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Claire Shotter @ Claire Shotter’s Blog describes herself as “a happy workaholic enjoying the best job in the world: Artist.”  And it certainly shows.  Be sure to check out Claire’s blog to see more whimsy, happy, family…

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Rescue me…

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Basic CMYKAfter posting my work-out video this morning (For Those Who Suffer, We Ride…), I stepped on the scale to find that I had set a new personal worst…a 12-month high.  On with the running shoes, and out the door…no matter that the air was thick with humidity and threatening rain…I was determined to shake this weight off in one long run.

(Clank) (What is going on with you?) Flashback.

After Rachel left home to go to college, I camped out in the attic.  Meaning, on the couch…curtains drawn…big screen flashing…Friday night after work through the weekend.  This went on for several weeks.

I watched five consecutive seasons of the TV Series “Rescue Me.”  5 seasons = ~ 50 episodes.  50 shows = ~38 hours of TV.   Back to back to back to back to back to BACK. (Obsessive Personality Disorder.  Topic for upcoming post.)

There was no other TV during this Rescue Me marathon.  I took short breaks for meals, showers and potty breaks.  No exercise. No walks outdoors. No Zeke dog walking.  Minimal human interaction.  Just sayin’ – I was hunkered down.  (Who says it’s Moms that fall apart after the kids leave the nest).

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So, let me tell you about my day Dad…

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daddy and daughterWeek 3: Rachel’s summer job in Manhattan where she’s interning in a Human Resources Department.  She’s been coming home and thematically asking this line of questions:

“How’d your day go Dad?”  (For 19 years, I’d come dragging through the front door at the end of a long day. She’d be lying on the couch watching continuous loops of reality TV.  Not a peep from her on how my day went.  Now she’s asking.  Hmmmm. Until you walked a mile in a man’s shoes…) 

“Let me tell you about my day Dad.”  (She proceeds to jabber on and on and on about her day…giddy almost…youthful exuberance.  Anxious. Yet excited.  Learning.  Being stretched into new territory.  Unsure footing.  No worries Honey.  It will come.  It will surely come…) 

“Dad, did you read about the Greek vote in the Wall Street Journal?”  (Read what, where? Rachel reading a newspaper?  The WSJ?  I’m getting woozy.)

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